If nothing else it certainly shows that Seth Rogen isn't limited to backslapping bro roles. I'm not surprised that Hill had to change the ending, though. Triumphant endings are to studio comedies what unnecessary 3D is to Hollywood action movies.

Love is Blue
There's a kind of paradox at work here. On the one hand, "Love is Blue" is held up as being so mediocre that it somehow diminishes humanity. I can see that getting a Gallic "Hey, what the fuck?" from Paul Mauriat. On the other it's used so effectively here—and the use of music was always one of…

For the record, I think Washington's reputation as a jackass is overstated too. In any case, his interrogation by Pembleton is one of the highlights of the series. Who knew that getting a guy a soda could be such a mindfuck?

Yeah, even though it sucks that Patton Oswalt got dumped from the cast, I still would have committed to watch the first few episodes of Beach Lane. Appointment viewing if it lived up to my expectations.

From what I understand, Pope Urban was also in a paranoid state of mind because there were other, more severe cardinals who wanted his job. And no, popes can't be voted out, but they can sure be poisoned.

This…
really is educational.

Catherine Black
Todd mentions the possibility of Catherine being the show's guardian in a world full of warriors. That's one reason why I can enjoy this episode and be incredibly frustrated at the same time. [INCOMING SPOILERS] The time to nail down Catherine's roll in the battle was in the first season, or early…

Lewis and Pembleton
I think it's cool that Lewis is used as the voice of moral absolutism in the main plot, since that role is usually taken by Pembleton. And later on Frank would face the assisted suicide/euthanasia issue, in an episode that's also a St Elsewhere crossover.
And you can map out the difference…

Frank gets some good interaction with Munch. They have a mutual blowup when the Steve Buscemi interrogation goes south. And there's a later ep where Munch advises Frank to just give Mary a good night in the sack for their anniversary (problematic since Frank is on wang-shriveling stroke meds.)

Better McCoy stories
Open question. If you want to get a kinder view of the McCoy years, which are the best stories to look at? I have a fondness for the all-out surrealism of "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy." "Ghostlight" is also weird fun.

@marble,
The Chameleon Arches are a way out. Since they render you temporarily not-a-Timelord, a few others could be hidden by them.

I also think there may be a little influence from Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" here, as well as the French-produced Twilight Zone based on it. Like that story, Frank's vision comes to an abrupt and drastic end. Not quite as drastic, mind you…

Frank and Claire
Thanks for the reminder on the scene where Frank teases Claire with racist rhetoric. That's one good thing about having a star who's played so many bad guys. You can really have your hero mess with the villains' heads.

Tim Minear
Minear wrote this ep and co-wrote "Kitsunegari." Neither are the best X-File around, but both are fun and have their scary moments. It seems a shame that the show didn't keep him around longer, since their pool of good writers was shrinking (i.e., both Morgan and Wong and Howard Gordon left). The upside…

On an island where they have to keep recycling the same half dozen razors, could he really have kept the mustache trim? I mean, the audience can only suspend disbelief so far.

No mention…
Of Stephen Root and Toby Huss both being on King of the HIll? I guess if you put Bill Dauterive together with Cotton Hill, they'd both think Jay Sherman was a little odd.

I've heard that. I have read a handful of DW novelizations, but only the ones written by Terrance Dicks. How do they compare?

Damn. So Charlie Sheen was right?

"Single Again" from the Fiery Furnaces.

Funny moment
"The Mikado" has, in it's dry way, one of Millennium's best bits of comedy. Roedecker, while helping Frank and Peter Watts, starts rhapsodizing about how he can play all sorts of roles in chatrooms, changing identity, sexual orientation, even gender. Watts looks past him and says, "That's a little more…